-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- When you think of GIFs , those never-ending sequences of looping motion , you 're more likely to associate them with lightly humorous viral content than a respectable art form .

However , their hypnotic movement has been gaining favor with the artistic community , and now one of the most high profile museums in the world , London 's Saatchi Gallery , has teamed up with Google + to explore their more reflective side .

They gathered a roster of impressive judges , such as film director Baz Luhrmann , artists Shezad Dawood , Tracey Emin and Cindy Sherman , and Saatchi Gallery CEO Nigel Hurst , for The Motion Photography Prize , the first global competition for artists working with animated GIFs .

Over 4,000 people from 52 countries entered their work , which fitted into six categories - landscape , lifestyle , action , people , night and urban . The top gong went to a Brooklyn-based creative director Christina Rinaldi , whose mesmerizing GIF of a New York City window cleaner , shown above , draws the viewers in with its almost trance-inducing repetition .

Cindy Sherman , American photographer and film director , was attracted to the vibrancy of Rinaldi 's work : `` It almost transcends the GIF medium by turning the soapy water into brushstrokes , so it seems more like creating a painting , '' she explained .

Rinaldi herself said that choosing motion rather than still photography was crucial to capturing the rhythm of the window cleaner at work : `` I was inspired by his brush strokes and the texture of the suds , '' she said , '' I watched him as if he were a performance artist -- his work temporary and only to be witnessed within a few seconds . I quickly became enamored with his efficient rhythm . Surviving in New York City requires an elevated sense of efficiency and an innate hustle . ''

The work of other finalists -- Kostas Agiannitis , MicaÃ `` l Reynaud , Matthew Clarke , Emma Critchley and Stefanie Schneider , highlighted the diverse and creative nature of a GIF as an art form .

`` There is incredible potential in this technology , and many photographers are now using GIFs to create motion in their work '' , says Saatchi Gallery 's CEO and one of the judges Nigel Hurst .

`` You 're looking at an image that floats somewhere between a still photograph and film , it has elements of both but sometimes incorporated in an unexpected way , which makes it even more compelling , '' Hurst says .

He added that the judging process was no different than when looking at other , more conventional , art : `` What stood out for us were images which were arresting , and used the parameters of the GIF in an imaginative way . ''

Artist and illustrator Clay Rodery , whose work has appeared in the New York Times , The Atlantic and on HBO , initially started creating GIFs to practice animation , but soon started making entire pieces for the format drawn by the chance to more eloquently express ideas he had inside his head .

He says : '' First and foremost I 'm conscious of it looping . Its duration might be very short , sometimes only several frames , but in a loop there is the potential for its content to be endless . ''

Moreover , Rodery says that GIFs helped him develop as an artist : `` It most certainly has expanded the breadth of my work and its emotional impact . These days you need to work very hard to get your work to stand out , and a moving image really does wonders to get you noticed . ''

The exhibition will be featured online on Saatchi Art , a web gallery for emerging artists .

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Saatchi Gallery has teamed up with Google plus for the first GIF art award

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The Motion Photography Prize went to Brooklyn artist Christina Rinaldi

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Artists are increasingly looking to GIFs as bona-fide channels for self-expression